This is Oreo.

He recently went missing on Friday (11/10/23) which wasn't too concerning initially, he likes to go outside and explore just as many cats do. He always comes back, especially at dinner time. When he still hadn't returned Saturday, we began to grow concerned that something had happened to him. We searched the general area to no avail, which was not surprising. Cats are sneaky and if they're hiding, it's very difficult to find them. Martha, my significant other and Mother of my 3 year old boy then decided to make some missing flyers and she went around stapling them to posts and leaving them under our neighbor's doormats. We also posted on a local Facebook page that exists solely for missing pets in our area. Our hearts were warmed as over 60 people had shared the post by Sunday, and even a few neighbors called her to check and see if we had found him yet. We had not, though, and hope began to dwindle. Obviously our biggest concerns were that a larger animal had gotten him, or perhaps that he had been struck by a vehicle and were lying dead in a ditch. I always worried that he would eventually come back, but after we had moved out (our lease ends in February). I've heard of pets, especially cats, returning home months after going missing.

By Monday morning, he still had not returned, and I pretty much had it set in my mind that Oreo was gone and not coming back. Martha didn't give up though. She enlisted the help of some neighborhood boys and kept looking for him that day while I stayed home with the little one and our other cat and our doggo. She came running through the front door in the early evening yelling, "Jonathan! I FOUND HIM! I FOUND OREO!" I was in disbelief for a moment, and then she came running up the stairs with him in her arms. I barely recognized him at first, and I immediately told her that we needed to take him to the vet. 

He was still in survival mode when he first got back to the house...we still have no idea what happened to him...

It was late and most places were either closed or about to be, so we had to take him to the closest 24 hour clinic, knowing that it would likely be a lot more expensive than our primary care vet. It couldn't wait until the morning though. He was in rough shape as you can see in the photos.

It turned out that Oreo had slipped into our neighbor's garage right across the street from us. They left for a trip on Friday, and were out of town until that day. When they opened the garage, he ran out, and they immediately called over to Martha who was still out looking for him. He must have been terrified, thirsty, and hungry. The vet there suggested a full work-up (bloodwork, radiology, etc) and said that he definitely needed to be sedated due to the pain he was in. We saw the estimate though and realized we simply couldn't afford all of it right then and there. So, we opted to have them give him fluids and got him some pain medication to last him through the night until we could gather more funds and take him to our primary care vet in the morning. That alone was $300, and knew we were going to be looking at a lot more come the next day, and even more once a full diagnosis was conducted. You see, the Doctor there told us that while it had to be confirmed via x-rays to know the full extent of the trauma, he was certain that he had a fractured jaw. Which made sense, as his mouth was hanging open and definitely looked to be uneven. He said it was very possible that surgery would be necessary.

We took him home for the night, and tried to feed him wet food but even that turned out to be too difficult for him. Which was sad, because he kept sniffing at the food and would lick it a bit, so we knew he was hungry after over 72 hours stuck in that garage. He did manage to drink water, albeit very carefully. The next morning we took him to our vet, and that would be another $800+. X-rays showed multiple fractures, one of the mandible and one in the front chin area, but no brain trauma luckily. He received more medication and the Doc put a wire in his jaw to hold it in place so that it can heal over time. He has to wear a cone for 6 to 8 weeks until we take him back for a follow up. He hates it, as all pets who have had to wear one before him surely have. However, the Doc said that without surgery, Oreo simply won't heal properly and his jaw will always be out of line. 

He'll heal and he'll survive, but he'll never be the same. We want to do it as he's only 5 years old and want him to have the best life possible, but as you might suspect, it's not cheap. We're looking at $3000-$4000 after everything is all said and done, which we cannot afford in such a short period of time (the Doc said if surgery is to be performed, it should be sooner rather than later). So here I am, starting this fundraiser, which is honestly something I never thought I'd be doing. My family and I humbly ask that anyone who can donate anything at all, please do. Any little bit helps. Also want to thank my sister and roommate who have already helped cover some of the initial costs.

Oreo is in good spirits, he walks around the house (clearly not allowing him to go outside for quite some time), tries to meow but can tell it's hard for him. Still having trouble getting him to eat, but that'll come with time hopefully. He still loves to be pet, and comes up to us for attention as he always has. He can't really play like he normally would like to. My doggo and him love to chase eachother around under normal circumstances, but the dog is much bigger than him and we've had to really keep an eye on them since he doesn't realize how much pain Oreo is in. Like I said, whoever can, please help us get our boy the surgery he needs. If you cannot afford to donate, please share this page on social media and with your friends/family. Thank you all who have donated already!

UPDATE:

I've already told donors that surgery isn't possible anymore, but we will still accept donations for vet bills. He's doing very well, but his right jaw will always hang a little bit low. We appreciate all help that was received, and anyone else is welcome to lessen the burden ❤